


Finding Diamonds

by Dresupi



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Awkwardness, Developing Friendships, Established Relationship, F/M, Female Friendship, Friendship, Gen, Pastries, corn maze
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2019-11-17
Packaged: 2021-02-08 03:33:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21469375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dresupi/pseuds/Dresupi
Summary: Daisy is determined to get Wanda to warm up to her. Even if that means inviting her along on her dates with Pietro.It’s not as weird as it sounds.Promise.
Relationships: Pietro Maximoff/Skye | Daisy Johnson, Wanda Maximoff & Skye | Daisy Johnson
Comments: 8
Kudos: 40





	Finding Diamonds

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Panthisia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Panthisia/gifts).

> I got the title from this little inspirational quote I saw once. 
> 
> It went something like. "It's not that diamonds are a girl's best friend, but it's your best friends who are your diamonds." 
> 
> This fic has Daisy/Pietro, but the true relationship in this fic is Daisy & Wanda becoming friends. Anyway, Panthisia prompted me for this so long ago, and between having my brain stuff happen and everything in between, this went through like four different iterations before I finished this one.

Daisy didn’t normally find herself with free time, but when she did, she liked to spend it wisely. And wisely for her, was with her boyfriend, Pietro. It wasn’t that they never got to spend time with each other, but seeing as their respective jobs at SHIELD seldom overlapped. Nor did they provide the two of them with much alone time. So, they both surprised the other with visits more often than not.

They’d been together for a few months now. Long enough that Daisy had a keycard to get into Pietro’s apartment, and he had keys to get into her place as well. She always assumed they’d move in together eventually, but for now, it was fine that they had their own spaces. Plus, Pietro lived with his sister, and to take Wanda’s roommate away would be kind of rude, wouldn’t it? Especially since she and Pietro really weren’t in a co-habitation mode yet.

That wasn’t to say that they didn’t practice, however. Daisy sometimes stayed over at Pietro’s place, and he stayed over at hers. He stayed over at hers more often than she did at his, however. For the aforementioned reasons. Or really just one reason.

That particular reason was lurking around in the kitchen when Daisy arrived one crisp autumn morning.

Pietro looked up from the book he was skimming when Daisy opened the door. “Daisy!” he exclaimed.

“Sorry for the surprise visit,” Daisy said. “I had a couple of hours free and thought I’d swing by and see if you were here.”

“It’s always a pleasant surprise to see _you_,” Pietro assured her, rising from the couch and zipping over to peck her lips. She ended up holding him closer for longer than a peck, but he definitely didn’t seem to mind. “Wanda’s here. She’s making lunch, would you like something?”

Daisy turned just in time to see Pietro’s twin sister hovering in the doorway to the kitchen.

So yeah. They shared a place. Some people found it weird, but Daisy didn’t see a problem with it. After what Pietro and Wanda had been through, she couldn’t blame them for wanting to be as close as possible afterward. Plus, they had this twin connection thing. Something she didn’t really understand, but it was something that came along with Pietro, so she just went with it.

“I mean if you don’t mind me crashing your lunch?” Daisy said, chuckling a little.

Wanda pursed her lips and shook her head. “It is fine,” she replied tersely, turning on her heel and returning to the kitchen.

Daisy blinked a few times, turning back to lock eyes with Pietro, who had already zipped from her side to tidy up the living room.

He didn’t seem to notice Wanda’s apparent annoyance with Daisy, so Daisy decided to push it from her mind. Everyone she talked to said that Wanda was weird. Maybe this was just part of her weirdness. She’d never really been open or warm to Daisy, so that was the likely explanation.

Plus, Wanda didn’t really have a reason to be annoyed with her, did she? Unless she didn’t think Daisy was worthy of Pietro.

In which case, she could suck an egg, Daisy thought confidently to herself, only to take it back seconds later. No no, she couldn’t suck an egg. Daisy desperately wanted Wanda to like her, so it wouldn’t do if that was the real reason for her icy treatment.

If she was dating Pietro for the long haul—and it looked like she was—Daisy and Wanda would need to figure out a way to get along.

Daisy turned and followed Wanda into the kitchen, determined to be helpful and offer her assistance.

“I don’t need any help, “Wanda said bluntly the second Daisy set foot in the kitchen. She skidded to a halt, placing her hand on the counter to help balance the sudden stop.

“I’m sorry… what?” Daisy asked, confused.

“I don’t need any help, the meal is almost finished,” Wanda replied.

“Oh. Okay, sorry…” Daisy replied, backing out of the kitchen and back into the living room.

Her cheeks burned a little, but she pushed it out of her mind. Rationalizing Pietro’s sister’s behavior had become almost a second nature. Even if it was going against every protocol she had set up to protect herself from hurtful situations.

Pietro had zipped to the bathroom, from the looks of it, which left Daisy to eye the living room/dining room setup they had out here. Maybe she could set the table?

She turned once more, intent on helping even if Wanda didn’t want it, only to find the latter bringing out a stack of plates to the table herself.

“I can get those, Wanda,” Daisy offered, holding out her hands.

“I wouldn’t hear of it. Please. Make yourself comfortable.” Wanda’s eyes flitted up over Daisy’s shoulder. “Sit down.”

Daisy sensed him before she saw him. A brisk breeze before two warm arms wrapped around her from behind. He rested his head on top of hers.

Wanda set the plates down rather loudly on the table and turned to leave the room again.

“I offered to help,” Daisy said softly. “She said she didn’t need it?”

“She likes doing things herself, I guess,” Pietro said with a shrug. He moved in a blur, coming to rest in front of her. “It’s just sandwiches, don’t worry about it, Daisy.” His lips on hers were a brief solace because Wanda cleared her throat before coming back out to the dining room.

“It’s ready,” she stated, sliding a plate of sandwiches onto the table. “Enjoy.”

Daisy was all ready to sit down to the most awkward lunch of her life, except Wanda grabbed her sandwich and took it and her plate out of the room.

If Pietro noticed her behavior, he didn’t make note of it. He just pulled out a chair for Daisy and then slid another around to the same side of the table so he could sit near her.

And Daisy was left to eat a sandwich that was definitely not made with love.

But she got to eat it with Pietro, who definitely was. So she guessed that made up for it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I’ve got an idea.” Her boyfriend didn’t even say hello when she answered the call, but judging by how excited he sounded, it just would have slowed him down.

“What kind of idea?” She asked. “A fun kind, I hope.”

“I hope as well,” he replied. “I have the day off and I thought perhaps you might like to accompany me to this pumpkin patch near the upstate facility. I keep seeing the signs advertising it while I am taking my morning run. It looks like fun? They have a corn maze. If that sort of thing interests you…”

Pietro’s voice was bright and hopeful. Like it always was when he called her. It was almost as if he was expecting her to say no or something. Which was laughable, because why would she ever say no to spending time with Pietro? And at a corn maze no less? Getting lost with him sounded super fun.

Daisy was grinning even before he’d finished talking.

“Of course, you goober. Are you actually going to walk through the maze, though? You’re gonna slow down for me?”

“I will always slow down for you, draga,” he assured her. “Unless you want me fast, and then, as you know, I can oblige that as well.”

“You can, huh?”

“Absolutely. I can oblige you anything.”

“Anything? Like _anything_-anything?”

“Within reason,” he relented. “Although I could be convinced of something _unreasonable_, I suppose.”

“Okay, so like… is Wanda there? Why don’t you ask her to come along too?”

“Really? Why?” Pietro asked, sounding genuinely surprised by her request.

“Ouch,” Daisy replied, laughing a little.

“No, I just… I never really get to see you… wouldn’t you rather be alone?”

“Do you have something planned other than a walk?” Daisy asked. “Because, like… I don’t wanna step on your game or anything.”

“I was hoping to hold your hand. Maybe steal a kiss or two…” he grumbled.

“And you can’t do that with your sister there? Is she that strict about PDA?”

He laughed. “No. She’s not strict at all, actually.”

“Well good. My thoughts were, maybe she’d like an afternoon of pumpkiny corn-mazey fun as well? And then you and I can go out for dinner tonight or something?”

“Dinner alone?” Pietro teased.

“I was _hoping_.”

“That sounds perfect, and you know… I think you are right. She needs to get out of the apartment once in a while.”

“Okay, so ask her to come along. I’ll hop in a cab and meet you at your apartment. We can drive up after that.”

“Sounds like a plan,” he replied.

They said their goodbyes and Daisy quickly went to go make sure she had on her coziest sweater. Corn mazes needed warm sweaters. She kind of hoped Pietro would wear one as well. Even though he usually didn’t wear layers. Something about how his metabolism made him warmer than average.

It didn’t matter though. That man could rock a sweater.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They were only about halfway through their drive upstate and Daisy was already second-guessing her ‘brilliant’ idea of inviting Wanda along.

Wanda had unhappily slumped into the back seat of the car and stared out the window for the entire ride. She hadn’t even sung along to the songs Daisy put on the radio, and she knew for a fact that Wanda enjoyed Fleetwood Mac. Pietro told her as much.

“So like… Wanda…” Daisy said, turning down the radio and dialing up the silence. “Have you guys ever been to a corn maze before?”

“No,” was her terse reply.

“Are you looking forward to it?” Daisy ventured again.

“I suppose. Although being the third wheel on my brother’s dates isn’t exactly how I wanted to spend my afternoon.”

“Oh, well, don’t worry about that! It was my idea to invite you!”

Wanda’s eyebrow quirked slightly as if she were surprised but not enough to do more than that. It was a Black Widow move. Daisy knew because Natasha had used it on her before.

She did _not_ like being Black Widowed.

“I’m serious,” Daisy insisted. “I thought it’d be fun if you came along.”

“Are you having fun?” Wanda asked, both eyebrows raising this time as she turned to look at Daisy for the first time since they’d been talking.

“I am,” Pietro said suddenly, grinning back at his sister in the rearview mirror. “I’m having fun.” He reached for the stereo, cranking up the volume and filling the car with Stevie Nicks and ‘Dreams’.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pietro parked the car in absolute silence. Daisy was gripping the seams on her blue jeans and attempting not to cause an earthquake and ruin everyone’s corn maze and pumpkin patch fun.

She was usually in such great control of this stuff now, it really bothered her that a tiny little spat with Wanda in the car could bring her back to square one like this.

Not even a spat. It was a non-spat. Zero-point five of a spat. Half a spat if that.

Maybe six-tenths of a spat.

But still. It totally wasn’t something to get this upset about.

They all exited the car and Daisy considered begging out and staying inside for the duration of the visit.

Except that this had been her idea, and like hell Pietro was going to leave her there when she was clearly going through a thing. She knew her boyfriend better than that.

Pietro hung back and reached for her hand, tugging her close and pressing it to his chest. “Feel that?” He asked, eyes searching hers. His heart was beating beneath her fingers. _Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump.’_

Daisy nodded. “Yeah.”

He took a deep breath and let it out just as slowly. “Match me,” he said. “Come on, match me.”

It worked. It always did. Pietro always knew how to make her calm down. And how to not make her feel like a monster in the interim. He was so good at that.

Daisy matched his chest rise and fall and felt her own heart slowing. She felt the tension leave her hands, her wrists.

She rested against Pietro for a long moment before raising her head to look up at him. “Thank you.”

“Anytime,” he replied. “Do you want me to talk to her?” His eyes moved slightly and Daisy could deduce that Wanda had gone ahead. She turned and scanned the parking lot, seeing the other woman seated upon a hay bale and staring down at her phone. It was too far away to read her expression, but if Daisy knew Wanda, it was likely something in the glazed arena.

“No,” she replied. “I’m fine. She can’t help that I’m a spaz about things. I set my expectations too high. Not her fault.”

“You sure? She was kind of mean in the car…”

“Yeah, she was. But I was also coming on kind of strong. It’s my weird thing where I need everyone to like me.”

“She doesn’t… _not_ like you. I believe her annoyance is more with me. She says I make her feel like the third wheel.”

“How, though? It’s not like we’re making out in front of her. I feel like it’s a _me_ thing. There’s something about me she doesn’t like.”

“It isn’t that,” he insisted.

“Why couldn’t it be? I mean, maybe in my eagerness to please her, I’m coming off as insincere.”

“It could not be that because no one can know you and not like you,” Pietro replied. “And as far as the third wheel thing goes, I do not know. I have asked and it led to nothing.”

Daisy sighed heavily. “Well. I guess let’s go into the corn maze. Like, there’s no way she can stay angry at us for something we’re not even doing, right?”

Pietro didn’t respond, he simply grabbed her hand and they walked up to meet Wanda.

“I’ll go get the tickets, yes?” He reached into his pocket for his wallet, and Daisy was left with Wanda, who was looking none too pleased with that development.

Daisy tried to search for something to say. Should she apologize?

For what, though? She hadn’t really done anything wrong, had she? Pietro was right. Wanda was the one who’d copped an attitude. And if her beef _was_ with Pietro, then if Daisy apologized, wouldn’t that look like Daisy was being a doormat?

Would a doormat be better than being the second wheel on a bike with Pietro and forcing Wanda to tag along as a one-sided training wheel kind of situation?

Before she could pick some platitude to fill the silence, Pietro had zipped back with the tickets and they were on their way inside.

Pietro took her hand and they walked inside, following the signs towards the corn maze entrance. The silence was almost deafening, and if it weren’t for the kids laughing and the moms yelling, and the teenagers trying to act like they weren’t having fun on the hayride, it would have been unbearable.

Daisy released Pietro’s hand. “Let’s split up,” she suggested, unsure anymore of what her plan even was. “See who gets out first.”

“I’ll give you one guess who will get out first,” Wanda said with a derisive snort, but Daisy had already taken off into the corn, take turns and twists and hiding around the corner to wait for the Maximoffs to run off without her.

Maybe her plan was to take a breather? That sounded good. Taking a breather sounded really good.

She found a spot to hide around about four corners and past three dead ends. There was a lumpy scarecrow stuck in the ground and Daisy knelt behind it to pull out her phone and use her breathing app to calm down.

There were already some texts from Pietro waiting for her on her phone, and she couldn’t help but smile at the protective way he was worrying.

_Don’t worry, I just needed space to breathe. I’ll find you guys in a few minutes._ She texted back quickly.

He sent a thumbs up almost instantaneously.

The corn smelled earthy, and surprisingly, not many people swung past her on their way through the maze.

The longer she sat there, the longer Daisy wondered if she should go ahead and get up and try to find the other two. Her heart rate had slowed, and she no longer felt like she was about to either scream or cry, so that was good.

As she was getting to her feet and brushing the hay off her jeans, she heard them talking.

Pietro and Wanda. Arguing. Possibly. They sounded defensive. She definitely shouldn’t be doing this, but if Daisy squinted and listened really hard, she could understand what they were saying to each other. She knew enough Sokovian through Pietro to decipher what was being said, even if she wasn’t able to speak it as quickly. Or intelligibly.

“I don’t understand why you have to be so rude to her,” Pietro hissed. “Daisy’s my girlfriend.”

“I _know_ she’s your girlfriend, Pietro. But does that mean I have to tag along like an annoying little sister to every one of your dates?” Wanda asked.

Daisy was surprised. Kind of. Pietro had previously explained how Wanda felt, but hearing it from her directly gave her a kind of shock. Also, she was totally over-exaggerating, it wasn’t every single one of their dates. In fact, this had just started recently.

He scoffed. “_Every one_ of our dates? You’re over-exaggerating.”

Smirking slightly at how in sync they both were, she pressed herself a bit closer to the wall of corn stalks behind her to better hear them.

This was a total _no bueno_ move, this eavesdropping behavior, but Daisy had already committed. They were standing right behind her, from the way it sounded. If she moved now, she’d make noise that would not escape Pietro’s ears. Plus, call her desperate, but she really wanted to know what Wanda was saying about her. She would come clean later, anyway.

“Fine, maybe I am,” Wanda acquiesced. “But I don’t like being made to feel like a charity case.”

“Daisy makes you feel like a charity case?” Pietro asked.

“_You_ do, pako,” Wanda sighed. Daisy didn’t recognize that word but made a note to ask Pietro later on. “You do not _have_ to give me something to do. I enjoy spending time alone sometimes. When you try to force things like this… this corn maze… hayride… pumpkin… thing, it makes me feel like you are sorry for me.”

Daisy frowned, that certainly wasn’t what she was going for when she suggested Pietro ask her along.

“Well, this was Daisy’s idea. Daisy actually wants to be your friend.”

“She does?” Wanda sounded genuinely surprised. “I had no idea. I simply thought she was trying to be nice.”

He chuckled. “No, while Daisy is really nice, I do not believe she is _that_ nice. She’s worried about stealing me away from you.”

She couldn’t see Wanda’s face, so she wasn’t exactly sure how that revelation went over. Pietro told her he was going to go looking for her and zipped off.

Daisy sat still for a long moment, and Wanda spoke up.

“I know you are there, Daisy.”

Of course, she did. Wanda could read minds. Or at least, Daisy thought she could. She wasn’t entirely sure what Wanda could or couldn’t do.

“Um…” She was about to apologize when Wanda continued talking.

“It is alright… you were curious. I might have done the same in your position.”

Daisy laughed nervously. “My position is kind of uncomfortable right now, so I wouldn’t wish it on anyone… and also, I totally forgot that you could do that… that thing.”

“Well, nothing to really worry about. Other than telling Pietro you were listening. But I can tell you are going to do that anyway, so I am not worried.”

“No… well, I mean, I _am_ going to tell Pietro, but I mean, my leg is asleep and my hip hurts. I’m actually _physically_ uncomfortable. That’s what I mean.”

“Oh!” Wanda exclaimed, suddenly appearing at her side and bending down to help her stand. The corn was rustling behind her, so Daisy assumed she’d just walked through it. Wanda kept one arm around her as she moved her out from behind the scarecrow.

“So like… if you could read my mind all this time, why didn’t you just… _know_ where I was coming from?”

“I cannot read intent,” Wanda explained. “Only the specific thoughts you think.”

“Okay, I gotcha…” Daisy’s leg was totally asleep, but she felt like this had been a major step in the right direction. “So like… I was thinking thoughts that made it sound like I was doing it for Pietro?”

Wanda pressed her lips into a tight smile and nodded. “I can tell you love my brother. But that love sort of… clouds all your thoughts. Tangles things together. I thought you wanted us to get along because of him.”

“What about his thoughts?”

She huffed out a laugh. “I am not allowed to look into my brother’s mind, and most of the time, I do not want to. So it is a good thing I am skilled at blocking him.”

“Oh… okay. Yeah… that’s definitely not what I was going for, doing this for Pietro and Pietro only. I mean, I just… I’m crazy about your brother. And yeah, I want you and I to be friends because of that… but I also think you’re really awesome all on your own. And I’d like for us to try to be friends too. Independently of Pietro,” Daisy explained. Or tried to.

Laughing a little, Wanda led her around a corner as the invisible pins and needles stabbed Daisy’s left leg repeatedly while the feeling came back. “The best way to do that would have been to ask me to do something _without_ my brother.”

Daisy laughed too, regardless of the discomfort in her leg. “Yeah, I’m seeing that now.”

“So why don’t I give Natasha a call and have her come pick me up here? You and Pietro finish your date, and you and I can do something later in the week?”

“I kind of feel awful dragging you up here for nothing…” Daisy confessed. “Like… I feel super dumb about how I was handling all of this…”

“Do not feel that way. I, for one, am just as blindsided as you.”

“Okay, well… that makes me feel somewhat better…”

“Only somewhat?” Wanda asked.

“Yep, the other thing that’s bothering me is going to take something a little more physical than talking it out. I cannot stand the feeling when my leg wakes back up after being asleep.” Daisy disengaged from Wanda’s arm and started walking in a circle, purposefully stomping one leg harder than the other.

Pietro found them then, of course. With Wanda watching Daisy stomp her foot around in a circle.

“There you…” He paused to take in the sight. “…are.”

“My foot was asleep because I was eavesdropping. Corndropping? Mazedropping? One of those. I was listening in to your argument.”

“We weren’t speaking English,” he countered.

“She can understand Sokovian,” Wanda explained, arching an eyebrow smugly. “It is quite impressive. You should actively teach her the language. She would pick it up quickly, I would wager.”

“Oh, well. Alright. That saves me from having to fill you in—“ Pietro stood back and stared at Daisy for a tiny bit longer. “Is your foot asleep?”

“Yep,” Daisy replied, wiggling her foot in front of her. “Or it was. All my limbs are awake now.”

“Good, because as I recall, we’re supposed to race out of the maze? I would hate to win while you had such a thing hindering your movement.”

“Oh shut it, Pietro. You would win no matter what, everyone knows that,” Daisy scoffed.

Wanda pulled out her phone. “Daisy and I actually had a pretty good talk. I am going to excuse myself… call Nat to come and pick me up. You two have your date. Daisy and I will catch up later in the week. Without you.”

She raised up on her tiptoes to hug Pietro before she left, waving to Daisy and walking directly out of the maze, leaving both of them still standing there.

Pietro frowned. “So you two already talked?”

“Yep.”

“Without me?”

“Yep.”

“And you are going to meet up later in the week?”

“Yep.”

“Without me?”

“Again, _yep_.”

“So we can have our date now?”

Daisy grinned. “Yep.”

“Awesome.” He grinned and reached down to take her hand. “I will slow down and walk through this at your pace, okay, draga?”

“Okay,” she agreed, squeezing his hand as they began walking. “So like, I have a Sokovian question. Two, actually.”

“I have two Sokovian answers to your questions.”

“One is, can you really teach me to speak it?”

“Of course, I had no idea you wanted that.”

“I do, actually. And the second one is, What does “pako” mean?”

“It means ‘dork’,” he replied. “Why?”

“Wanda called you _pako_ earlier. I wanted to know if it was something I could call you as well.”

He laughed. “I mean… I suppose. It’s not really a term of endearment.”

“I’ll save it for fights then,” Daisy teased, tugging him along. “Come on, Pietro. You’re too slow.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daisy ended up meeting Wanda for coffee that Wednesday.

It was there that she found out that Wanda didn’t like chocolate, but just loved pastries. Which gave Daisy the bright idea to introduce her new friend to her favorite bakery. The one she went to when she was having either a particularly rough day or a particularly great day. Or any day in between.

“Come on, we can walk there,” Daisy beckoned, her coffee steaming in the crisp air outside.

“How far is it?” Wanda asked.

“Just a couple of blocks. It’d be a much longer time trying to hail a cab and drive there than it would be to just walk it,” Daisy assured her.

“You know, I _could_ just blast us there…” Wanda offered.

“Um, no thanks! I have had enough of being blasted places to last me a lifetime,” Daisy laughed. “Plus, I think our coffees might spill. And that would be a travesty because the pastries at this place go great with coffee.”

“Fine, but you have to let me blast you somewhere, it is fun when you are not running for your life.”

Daisy grinned. “I bet. It’s a little like rocket jumping in a video game, right? I’m thinking like Banjo-Kazooie where the bird rocket jumps with the bear on her back.”

“I would not know, I have never played that game. Or many others really…”

“Are you _kidding_? You have to come over and play. It’s an older game, it’s on my Nintendo64, but oh my geez, Wanda. It’s so much fun. I’ve one-hundred-percented that game so many times, I lost count.”

“Are you bragging?” Wanda asked, taking a tiny sip from her coffee. “Because I have to say, growing up with a brother, that when someone brags, it makes me want to knock them off their self-erected pedestal.” The twinkle in her eyes was enough to assure Daisy that she wasn’t actually being serious. Well, she wasn’t seriously annoyed with her. She absolutely would knock Daisy off her Banjo-Kazooie pedestal.

But honestly, Daisy kind of wanted her to.

“I’m totally bragging. While you might be okay at the game, you’ll never beat my record.”

“I feel like all I would have to do is one-hundred-percent the game myself…”

“It’s not just one-hundred-percenting it, it’s having to do it with a time constraint. Pietro couldn’t even do it because his brain works faster than the Nintendo does, so he got frustrated.” Daisy smirked. “My record still stands.”

“Not for long,” Wanda teased. “Just you wait, I will claim that record for my very own. I am an expert at rocket jumping after all.”

“Are you really, though?” Daisy asked. “I thought maybe you were just mediocre at smack talk and delusional about your video game abilities.”

Wanda snorted derisively. “I am an expert at that too. Who was it who taught you the word _pako_ again?”

“I just heard you say it. Pietro taught me what it meant.”

“True, but he would have never even uttered the word in your presence. You need me if you want to verbally best him in his native language, Daisy. And believe me. You do. It is too fun not to.”

“Okay, pako. Whatever you say.”

“Don’t pepper in Sokovian words into your English, it makes you sound like a jackass.”

“Your brother does it,” Daisy countered.

Wanda’s reply was simply a look. Complete with raised eyebrows. It was a total “I rest my case” look and Daisy couldn’t really argue with it.

She burst out laughing, and Wanda joined in. They were laughing so hard, Daisy almost missed the street corner they had to round. They would have just been walking down the street, giggling like a couple of loons while Pastry Heaven got farther and farther away.

Daisy reached over to place her hand in the crook of Wanda’s elbow and steer her around the corner. The bakery was right there, waiting like a beacon of choux.

“Here it is. I hope you brought your stomach.”

“Oh shoot, I knew I forgot something,” Wanda replied, but her eyes got the better of her snark, which was saying something, but Daisy knew full well the effect this place had on her, so it was no surprise. “Oh, my word…”

“I know, right?” Daisy didn’t want to tear her eyes away from the window display. But the truly good stuff was inside. “Come on.” She tugged Wanda inside the door and inhaled the sweet scent of vanilla and butter the second they stepped over the threshold.

The shop itself was long and narrow, but far enough off the beaten path that the tourists hadn’t found out about it yet. Lucky for them.

Between the two of them, they ordered enough to warrant a white pastry box in lieu of a paper bag, but neither of them seemed to care. They slid into a couple of chairs just as two people left, balancing their coffee cups as they threw open the box.

“I am so glad I know you,” Wanda said, her eyes nearly rolling back in her head as she took a bite of her pain au lait.

“This place is awesome, right?”

“It is, but… aside from this. I had fun today.”

Daisy grinned. “Me too.”

“Are you saving some of yours for Pietro?”

She snorted. “Nope. I don’t expect these to make it home.”

“Fine by me,” Wanda replied. “Oh, and by the way, remind me the next time we go out. I found a wine bar that makes their own cheese.”

“Yes, please. Sign me up.”

It looked like Daisy would have to find a bit more free time somewhere in her schedule. Because Wanda was super fun. She needed a friend she could pig out with, and it looked like she’d found her.


End file.
